[rbh]

Hello All

I am planning next week following cities - Bangalore, Madurai, Rameshwaram, Kanyakumari, Trichur (Gurvayoor), Bangalore, Tirupati.

Need few recommendations (sequence depends on that). I am coming to Bangalore from Pune. I am renting Car in Bangalore for 8 days (15/12 12 AM - 23/12 midnight), VW Vento - by the how is this car?

I can make

1. Bangalore -Madurai - Rameshwaram - Kanyakumari - Trichur - Bangalore - Tirupati - Pune

here Bangalore - Tirupati and Tirupati - Pune by train. in this case got 2 days in Tirupati
OR
2. Bangalore - Trichur - Kanyakumari - Rameshwaram - Madurai - Tirupati - Bangalore.
In this case I can drive all the way back to Bangalore, then Bangalore - Pune by train.

1. which is the best route from Madurai - tirupati? and what is the usual driving time.
2. Driving is not an issue - night as well - and also stopovers in KK (2 days), Rameshwaram (2 days), Tirupati stay - depends on the the plan and sequence.
3. weather - what it is going to be like and Road conditions if any one recently been on specific routes.

Thanks in advance

Ramana

[ampere]

Originally Posted by rbh

1. which is the best route from Madurai - tirupati? and what is the usual driving time.

Madurai-Trichy-Tindivanam-Vandavasi-Cheyyar-Arcot-Ranipet-Chitoor-Tirupathi.

2. Driving is not an issue - night as well - and also stopovers in KK (2 days), Rameshwaram (2 days), Tirupati stay - depends on the the plan and sequence.

Rameshwaram : Daiwik
KK : Quite many. Check trip advisor
Tirupathi: Bhimas Residency and Fortune

[rbh]

Bangalore Madurai route excellent - started at around 2 AM, 1 hour total break, reached 9 AM. Darshan pretty good, had twice, evening and next morning. best option to take spl darshan for Rs 100 for family - can e done in less than 20 mins. Stayed at Sangam Hotel. Good Room and food.

Madurai - Kanyakumari - 3.5 hrs drive. Hwy is nearly empty! last 7 Kms blocked by police - diversion via kanyakumari city itself. Staying at Sparsha Resort. - walkable to all important points. good rooms and food.

Its raining and cloudy in Kanyakumari - so watch out your travel as no sunrise or sunsets :-)

Next drive to Rameshwaram later this week!

[DAART]

Hi NPV,

I did a similar roadtrip along with my parents and my wife in October 2013 and I wanted to Thank you for this wonderful informative travelouge. I was able to plan my roadtrip based on few inputs from your travelogue

[iamnarayang]

Friends. I am planning a trip to Madurai by the third week of September. I will be leaving early morning, around 6 from BTM Layout Bangalore. Is the Dharmapuri, Salem, Dindigul, Madurai the best route? I will be travelling with my parents, who are elderly and so I want to choose the safest route. Can you also please suggest reasonably priced. clean hotels to stay in Madurai?

[ampere]

Originally Posted by iamnarayang

Friends. I am planning a trip to Madurai by the third week of September. I will be leaving early morning, around 6 from BTM Layout Bangalore. Is the Dharmapuri, Salem, Dindigul, Madurai the best route? I will be travelling with my parents, who are elderly and so I want to choose the safest route. Can you also please suggest reasonably priced. clean hotels to stay in Madurai?

That is the default route to Madurai and also the best possible. Hotels are many. But what you need to look for is one with a parking. Because there are many without parking.

[couswheels]

Can you also please suggest reasonably priced. clean hotels to stay in Madurai?

Hope you would be visiting Meenakshi Amman temple. Suggestions basis my experience as both times I reached Madurai in the afternoon and went to the temple in the evening. As mentioned by ampere car parking is little cramped and very limited near temple area.

You may find a hotel near college house and I stayed in Hotel Chenthoor couple of years ago and had a basement parking which was limited for parking of about 10 cars. The place is crowded and I went in the evening hence took a walk Upto the temple. You may take ricks too.

When I went last year I stayed in Hotel Metropole near Raja Muthiah Mandram and had a basement parking with limited no. of parking. However this is not near temple ( 20 mins ride) and had to take a rick which cost Rs.100 one way. You do not need to get into city traffic if you stay here.

When I went couple of weeks ago, I directly drove from Trichy and it was in the morning around 8am. Hence went straight to temple car parking however you have to travel through some narrow roads. From the parking area East Tower (gopuram) is a 5 min walk.

You can take your vehicle to the temple only in the morning otherwise you have to depend on ricks which are over priced as usual. You need to bear with traffic if your hotel is near Townhall road.

[autospeaker]

Originally Posted by couswheels

You may find a hotel near college house and I stayed in Hotel Chenthoor couple of years ago and had a basement parking which was limited for parking of about 10 cars. The place is crowded and I went in the evening hence took a walk Upto the temple. You may take ricks too.

When I went last year I stayed in Hotel Metropole near Raja Muthiah Mandram and had a basement parking with limited no. of parking.

We are planning a tour to Madurai just after Christmas this month. We are 16 of us, driving from Bangalore in 4 cars. I am bit worried about the accommodation. Does the Hotels you have mentioned above good enough for me ? Can i consider these hotels in my case ( 16 members in same place)? Thanks in advance.

Cheers

[suresh_gs]

Folks

As per the current road status, which is the best route by car from Kanyakumari to Rameswaram.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by suresh_gs

As per the current road status, which is the best route by car from Kanyakumari to Rameswaram.

From Kanyakumari, take NH 7 upto Tirunelveli bypass and then NH 7 A to Tuticorin and then the East Coast Road (ECR) to Ramanathapuram and then NH 49 to Rameshwaram (the Madurai road NH 49 merges at Ramanathapuram).

**Also note that at the NH7 Tirunelveli bypass, the exit to the NH 7A can be confusing, just ask someone there, else you may land up on the Tiruchendur road which is narrow and not very good at some places. The same exit from NH 7 leads to both Tiruchendur road and little further on service road leads to NH 7A which goes directly to Tuticorin.
Don't just ask for Tuticorin since you may get directed to Tiruchendur road which also goes to Tuticorin from there.

[gadadhar]

Originally Posted by autospeaker

We are planning a tour to Madurai just after Christmas this month. We are 16 of us, driving from Bangalore in 4 cars. I am bit worried about the accommodation. Does the Hotels you have mentioned above good enough for me ? Can i consider these hotels in my case ( 16 members in same place)? Thanks in advance.

Cheers

I have booked 4 rooms for in Hotel Astoria during the XMas time through Goibibo. There are numerous options available in Madurai that can fit in your large group

[suresh_gs]

Originally Posted by NPV

From Kanyakumari, take NH 7 upto Tirunelveli bypass and then NH 7 A to Tuticorin and then the East Coast Road (ECR) to Ramanathapuram and then NH 49 to Rameshwaram (the Madurai road NH 49 merges at Ramanathapuram).

**Also note that at the NH7 Tirunelveli bypass, the exit to the NH 7A can be confusing, just ask someone there, else you may land up on the Tiruchendur road which is narrow and not very good at some places. The same exit from NH 7 leads to both Tiruchendur road and little further on service road leads to NH 7A which goes directly to Tuticorin.
Don't just ask for Tuticorin since you may get directed to Tiruchendur road which also goes to Tuticorin from there.

Any updates on the ECR from Tuticorin bypass to Ramanathapuram post the recent flurry of rains.

Folks

Also any updates on the condition of NH 210 from Ramanathapuram to Trichy via Karaikudi and Pudukottai post the recent rains in TN??

[deepv]

Originally Posted by suresh_gs

Any updates on the ECR from Tuticorin bypass to Ramanathapuram post the recent flurry of rains.
...

Suresh .. did you do KK to Rameshwaram through this route (KK - Tirunelveli - Tuticorin - ECR)?

How is overall road condition after getting off NH7?
Will be taking up tins route later today in the day.

[suresh_gs]

Originally Posted by deepv

Suresh .. did you do KK to Rameshwaram through this route (KK - Tirunelveli - Tuticorin - ECR)?

How is overall road condition after getting off NH7?
Will be taking up tins route later today in the day.

Yes, I traveled by the above route. I had lunch at Hotel Ram Prasad in Tirunelveli. From here I took the Tuticorin by pass and then touched ECR. By and large the ECR is in a very good shape. In some sections of the ECR stretch, we do have few broken sections of the road but nothing alarming. Infact I was able to drive consistently at 80 kmph
While driving on NH49 to Rameswaram, since the road does not have lane marking driving in the night is bit difficult.

[deepv]

Originally Posted by suresh_gs

.. From here I took the Tuticorin by pass and then touched ECR. By and large the ECR is in a very good shape. In some sections of the ECR stretch, we do have few broken sections of the road but nothing alarming. Infact I was able to drive consistently at 80 kmph
While driving on NH49 to Rameswaram, since the road does not have lane marking driving in the night is bit difficult.

Thanks Suresh, took almost the same route the other day.
Had seen you update before starting, so took the roundabout route after Tuticorin by-pass (instead of turning right at NH49, continued on 45B further and took right at NH75 junction next).
Not sure this was great idea because this road was also a little patchy only consolation being the part on 45B being four-lane was fast.

Agree with you missing markings on last section of AH43 towards Rameswaram, but was lucky to reach our hotel before dark.
I had faced same problem on NH7 around Dindigul-Madurai stretch a few days back where also certain portions were not marked and it looks dangerous on such high speed roads.